Combined golf ball and golfer&#39;s feet positioning device



G. W. STREET July 21, 1964 COMBINED GOLF BALL AND GOLFERS FEET POSITIONING DEVICE Filed Jan. 9, 1961 a W a M fil B $99 w m mg 5% w mm 2 FIG.3

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INVENIOR Grover W. Sireet ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,141,675 CQMBINED GOLF BALL AND GOLFERS FEET PGSITIONING DEVICE Grover W. Street, R0. Box 524, Okmulgee, Okla. Fiied Jan. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 81,638 2 Claims. (Cl. 273187) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in stance and swing guides for golfers.

The guide is particularly useful to golfers as an aid in acquiring the proper poise for efficient execution of the different kinds of shots involved in the play of the game v and establishing basic fundamentals in the minds of beginners or young golfers. Users of the guide are provided a solid foundation which ensures more rapid progress with the correct stance and swing, facilitating the grooving of the swing and the practicing thereof.

The primary function of the guide is to designate the basic positions in which the feet of the golfer should be placed in relation to the position of the ball and the particular club being used.

Heretofore, various devices have been made to assist the learning of golf and have included various types of measuring devices, mainly to indicate the stance of the player. Such prior devices have been incomplete or cumbersome, or otherwise objectionable, and have failed to be of general use of substantial advantage in teaching and practicing golf strokes.

An important feature of the invention is the provision of means to aid in the start, direction and control of the beginning of the backswing of the golfer which is one of the most important and controlling factors in the game and which has been largely neglected heretofore.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a golf stance and swing guide constructed in accordance with the invention and in open operative position,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the folded guide,

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the folded guide,

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the guide in open operative position,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, transverse, vertical, sectional view, taken on the line 55 of FIG. 2, showing the transverse curvature of the members of the guide, and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, exploded, perspective view of the fastener for securing the members to one another and to the ground.

In the drawing, the numeral 10 designates a golf stance and swing guide having a pair of elongate, narrow, rectangular members 11 and 12 and a similar member 13 of much less length. A suitable fastener 14 extends through and pivotally connects one of the ends of each of the longer members 11 and 12 to the intermediate portion of the shorter member 13, whereby said longer members may be swung together and apart and relative to said shorter member. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, all of the members are adapted to be folded into longitudinal alinement with one another when it is desired to store the guide or place it in a golf bag. Although subject to variation, the members may be approximately two inches in width with the longer members being thirty-six inches long and the shorter member being twelve inches in length. The members may be formed of thin metal or other suitable material and, preferably, are concavo-convex in crosssection to facilitate nesting of the folded members and 3,141,675 Patented July 21, 1964 to resist relative movement when said members are spread apart (FIG. 5).

In use, the members are spread apart as shown in FIG. 1 while the members 11 and 12 extending in acute angular relation to each other and with the member 13 extending perpendicular to the vertex of the angle between said members 11 and 12. The amount of spread of the longer members is determined in accordance with the natural stance of the golfer and is subject to variation, a spacing of approximately seventeen inches being shown. Series of indicia 15 and 16, corresponding to a predetermined number of golf clubs, extend longitudinally of the outer or free end portions of the members 11 and 12 with the indicia for the club of least loft being at the extremities of said members and progressively in creasing in club loft inwardly thereof. The member 13 has a similar longitudinal series of indicia 17 which progressively increases in club loft rearwardly thereof. Preferably, each series of indicia includes the letter D and the numerals 2 through 9 for designating the driver or No. 1 wood and the usual irons. It is noted that the spacing between the indicia decreases with the increase of club loft so that the lesser club loft indicia are widely spaced and the greater club loft indicia are closely spaced. The fastener 14 is adjacent the indicia 17 of the member 13 which corresponds to the golf clubs of medium loft and, preferably, is closest to the indicia designating the No. 5 iron.

The guide 10 is adapted to be placed on the ground with its shorter member 13 in close proximity, such as two inches, to the golf ball and extending parallel to the desired line of flight of said ball as well as perpendicular to the vertex of the angle between the spread apart members 11 and 12. It is pointed out that the exact position of the guide is determined by the loft of the golf club to be used, because the indicia 17 corresponding to said club loft must be adjacent the golf ball. The golfer places his feet outside of the members 11 and 12 with the rear of his heels aligned with the indicia 15 and 16 which correspond to the loft of the club being used. Thus, the feet of the golfer are properly positioned with respect to the golf ball and in accordance with the loft of the golf club. Since the shorter member 13 extends parallel to the desired line of flight of the ball, it functions as a guide for the backswing and follow through of the club head. Use of the guide results in better direction and more accurate placement of each golf shot as well as teaching the correct stance and swing for each shot. Although useable for stationary practice, the guide lends itself to use on golf courses since it is readily portable and positions the feet of the golfer relative to the golf ball rather than the ball relative to the feet. This is important because it is essential for a golfer to learn to position himself properly With respect to the golf ball before hitting the same.

The fastener 14 may be constructed as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and includes a bolt or screw 18 for extending through the members 11, 12 and 13. A nut 19 is screwthreaded on the bolt 18 for confining the members thereon and may be secured against displacement by a lock washer 20. As shown by the numeral 21, the free end of the bolt projects beyond the nut 19 and is bifurcated or split for receiving the flattened inner end 22 of a pointed pin or spike 23. A pin 24 extends transversely through bolt and spike to pivotally connect the same. The spike 23 is adapted to be pushed into the ground to hold the guide 10 against accidental displacement and, due to its pivotalconnection to the bolt, may be swung inwardly when said guide is folded for storage or carrying in a golf bag. Although desirable, it is manifest that the spike is not essential to the use of the guide.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory thereof and. various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction may be made, within the scope of the appended claims without department from the spirit of the invention. a

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A golf stance and swing guide including three elongate narrow rectangular members adapted to lie on a substantially fiat surface, the first of the members being adapted to be positioned in close proximity to a golf ball and to extend parallel to a desired line of flight of the golf ball, the second and third of said members being of substantially equal length and of greater length than the first member, said first member having a series of indicia extending longitudinally thereof and corresponding to a predetermined number of golf clubs for indicating the preferred placement of the golf ball with respect to each of the clubs, and means pivotally attaching one of the ends of each of the second and third members to each other and to the intermediate portion of said first member whereby the opposite ends of said second and third members are free to pivot toward and away from each other, each of the free end portions of said second and third members having a series of indicia extending longitudinally thereof and corresponding to the predetermined number of golf clubs for indicating the preferred spacing from the ball of the heels of the user of the guide with respect to each of said clubs, said free end portions being adapted to be spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the width of the stance of the user and disposed between the heels of the user with each of said second and third members having the same angular relation to said first member whereby the vertex of the angle between said second and third members is perpendicular to said first member, the pivotal attachment of said members permitting compact folding of said guide for carrying in a golf bag, said first member being of a relatively short length which is sufiicient only to accommodate the positioning of the indicia on said member in accordance with said preferred placement of the golf ball with respect to each of the golf clubs and to function as a guide for the initial backswing and initial follow-through of the head of a golf club.

2. A golf stance and swing guide as set forth in claim 1 wherein indicia corresponding to golf clubs of medium loft are provided adjacent the pivotal attaching means at the medial portion of the first member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,208,995 Lyon Dec. 19, 1916 2,025,519 Lingg Dec. 24, 1935 2,180,170 Richards Nov. 14, 1939 2,652,251 Molinar Sept. 15, 1953 2,777,697 Crossot Jan. 15, 1957 3,041,075 Taylor June 26, 1962 

1. A GOLF STANCE AND SWING GUIDE INCLUDING THREE ELONGATE NARROW RECTANGULAR MEMBERS ADAPTED TO LIE ON A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SURFACE, THE FIRST OF THE MEMBERS BEING ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO A GOLF BALL AND TO EXTEND PARALLEL TO A DESIRED LINE OF FLIGHT OF THE GOLF BALL, THE SECOND AND THIRD OF SAID MEMBERS BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL LENGTH AND OF GREATER LENGTH THAN THE FIRST MEMBER, SAID FIRST MEMBER HAVING A SERIES OF INDICIA EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF AND CORRESPONDING TO A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF GOLF CLUBS FOR INDICATING THE PREFERRED PLACEMENT OF THE GOLF BALL WITH RESPECT TO EACH OF THE CLUBS, AND MEANS PIVOTALLY ATTACHING ONE OF THE ENDS OF EACH OF THE SECOND AND THIRD MEMBERS TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID FIRST MEMBER WHEREBY THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SECOND AND THIRD MEMBERS ARE FREE TO PIVOT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, EACH OF THE FREE END PORTIONS OF SAID SECOND AND THIRD MEMBERS HAVING A SERIES OF INDICIA EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF AND CORRESPONDING TO THE PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF GOLF CLUBS FOR INDICATING THE PREFERRED SPACING FROM THE BALL OF THE HEELS OF THE USER OF THE GUIDE WITH RESPECT TO EACH OF SAID CLUBS, SAID FREE END PORTIONS BEING ADAPTED TO BE SPACED APART A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF THE STANCE OF THE USER AND DISPOSED BETWEEN THE HEELS OF THE USER WITH EACH OF SAID SECOND AND THIRD MEMBERS HAVING THE SAME ANGULAR RELATION TO SAID FIRST MEMBER WHEREBY THE VERTEX OF THE ANGLE BETWEEN SAID SECOND AND THIRD MEMBERS IS PERPENDICULAR TO SAID FIRST MEMBER, THE PIVOTAL ATTACHMENT OF SAID MEMBERS PERMITTING COMPACT FOLDING OF SAID GUIDE FOR CARRYING IN A GOLF BAG, SAID FIRST MEMBER BEING OF A RELATIVELY SHORT LENGTH WHICH IS SUFFICIENT ONLY TO ACCOMMODATE THE POSITIONING OF THE INDICIA ON SAID MEMBER IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID PREFERRED PLACEMENT OF THE GOLF BALL WITH RESPECT TO EACH OF THE GOLF CLUBS AND TO FUNCTION AS A GUIDE FOR THE INITIAL BACKSWING AND INITIAL FOLLOW-THROUGH OF THE HEAD OF A GOLF CLUB. 